Hemi-Sync® Journal 1991-2 (Spring)

--- PAGE 1 (OCR) --- Journal Vol. IX Spring 1991 No. 2 A Publication of The Monroe Institute ional Division IN THIS ISSUE HEMI-SYNC™ AND INSIGHT-ORIENTED PSYCHOTHERAPY: A THEORETICAL MODEL ....1 Mohammad Sadigh, PhD, observes the acceleration of the psychotherapeutic process through bilateral brain- wave synchrony. USE OF THE HEMI-SYNC CONCENTRATION TAPE WITH DEPRESSIVE SYNDROME ........ Results of a study by Regis Louis, MD, indicate the alleviation of attention- and memory-deficit symptoms in depressive psychiatric patients. WILL I SEE LIKE NORMAL PEOPLE SEE? HEMI-SYNC AND BLINDNESS A conversation with educational consultant Patricia Leva-Michael, RN, MA, and her client, Sally Kubrak, reveals that sight extends far beyond the eyes. HEMI-SYNC APPLICATIONS IN PSYCHOTHERAPY 2 cag Joseph Gallenberger, PhD, discusses his work with clients to overcome claustrophobia, increase sports performance, enhance sleep among attention- disordered children, improve marital communication, and more. HEMI-SYNC SURF IN PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY ...6 Three case studies by John R. Smith, Jr., DMD, present his clinical observations of Hemi-Sync as an adjunct to pediatric dental treatment. HEMI-SYNC™ AND INSIGHT-ORIENTED PSYCHOTHERAPY: A THEORETICAL MODEL by Mohammad R. Sadigh, PhD Mohammad Sadigh is director of psychology and psychophysio- logical services at the Gateway Institute, a center for pain and stress management in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He practices psychother- apy and biofeedback and is also in charge of the center's neuropsy- chological laboratory. His primary research activity is in the area of computer-assisted brainmapping. Mohammad has been a member of The Monroe Institute Professional Division since 1989 and lives in Bethlehem. In the following article Dr. Sadigh presents a theoretical model of how Hemi-Sync facilitates interhemispheric synchroniza- tion and the benefits of this state for the psychotherapeutic process. During the last several years, a number of articles have appeared in The Monroe Institute publications stating the benefits of Hemi- Sync in facilitating psychotherapy. But how does hemispheric syn- chronization contribute to the psychotherapeutic process? In this brief paper, I will attempt to offer a theoretical explanation supported by some preliminary research findings. Insight-oriented psychotherapy is based on the premise that psychological, emotional, and behavioral problems and difficulties originate from unresolved unconscious conflicts left behind from our childhood years. These unconscious conflicts continue to affect us— our relationships, our careers, and ultimately our perception of reality—unless they are acknowledged and dealt with. Therefore, the goal of psychotherapy is to make these unconscious conflicts con- scious so that we may gain control over them. Theoretically speaking, once this is accomplished we are no longer victims of these uncon- scious forces, and our reality is no longer tainted and distorted by these determinants of behavior which normally operate outside our conscious awareness. Unfortunately, however, accomplishing this task fully is extremely difficult and in most cases almost impossible. The patient and the psychotherapist often have to grapple and struggle with a variety of conscious and unconscious defensive barriers and practical limitations, which make the psychotherapeutic process long and emotionally (as well as financially) exhausting. Yet, psychotherapy cannot be effective without understanding and deal- ing with such unconscious defenses and what erected them in the first place. ‘A simple example may be used to illustrate how unconscious conflicts and defenses are formed and how they may affect a person's life. Imagine a scared child who is given a highly conflicting message by her mother as she enters her parents’ room looking for security and comfort. Upon entering the room the child hears the verbal message (left hemisphere), “I really want you to stay here with us,” while at the same time she loudly “hears” the facial expression (right hemisphere), “I wish you would go to your room so that we could © 1991 The Monroe Institute Route 1, Box 175, Faber, VA 22938-9749 804/361-1252 --- PAGE 2 (OCR) --- HEMI-SYNC JOURNAL sleep in peace without you.” In other words, the left hemisphere hears an inviting, pleasing message while at the same time the right hemisphere “hears” rejection and experiences sadness and emotional pain. These overwhelmingly conflicting messages may seriously impair the child’s ability to respond to her mother. Her only way out is if and when one of the messages is blocked, or pushed outside the realm of conscious awareness. As Freud (1916) so insightfully stated, “Defense is always against affect.” That is, if the material perceived by the right hemisphere (which is affective in nature) is defended against, the child is likely to go on and behave “normally” for the time being. Although the child may appear to have resolved the emotional and perceptual conflict of the moment, it is very likely that seeds of doubt, mistrust, and confusion have already been planted in her mind. As she continues to deny, block, and repress her inconsistent percep- tions, she experiences greater tension and turmoil within. In other words, the nonverbal material in the right hemisphere, even though submerged in the unconscious, will continue to have a life of its own, and will, at one point, manifest itself in the form of physical and/or psychological symptoms. To put it differently, lack of validation and communication be- tween the two hemispheres may result in the construction of defenses which consequently, and in time, could alienate the child from herself. These unconscious barriers are apt to isolate and stop her from recognizing and acknowledging her resources, abilities, poten- tials, and propensities that could easily save her from emotional and psychological torment and make problem solving a manageable task. Hence, we come to witness the birth of “mental and psychiatric disorders” and psychosomatic symptoms and conditions. . . . the process of psychotherapy can be accelerated should the two hemispheres begin to communicate more freely with each other. . . Early in his work, Freud (1913) discovered that by allowing his patients to free-associate, they were able to uncover some of the unconscious material that was interfering with their normal func- tioning. Symptoms, both physical and psychological, slowly began to disappear as the unconscious became more conscious. Even today, free association continues to be a potent tool for conducting insight- oriented psychotherapy. It appears that, during the free-association process, important information and material tend to seep through the defensive barriers spontaneously. This results in recognition and realization of determinants of behavior, conflicts, and traumas often locked in the dungeons of the unconscious. But again, because of the complexities of defense mechanisms, this process is often time-con- suming and extremely exhausting. Theoretically, the process of psychotherapy can be accelerated should the two hemispheres begin to communicate more freely with each other and transcend the defensive barriers. How can we facilitate this communication? HEMI-SYNC AND HEMISPHERIC COMMUNICATION It has been approximately one year since I began to study the effects of Hemi-Sync on cortical activity. Study after study, I was able to demonstrate objectively that Hemi-Sync does indeed do what it is meant to do: synchronize the two hemispheres. What are the implica- tions of this interhemispheric synchronization? Once I recovered from the euphoria of observing synchronized brain states after exposure to the Hemi-Sync signals, I began to explore what was happening cognitively, as well as affectively, to each subject. ‘The results of my pilot study have been elating and quite exciting. In two studies, while psychotherapy patients were exposed to the Hemi-Sync signals, they were asked to free-associate—that is, to talk about whatever came to their minds. In both cases, from an objective standpoint (cortical activity) two observations were made. Initially, there was a tendency toward intrahemispheric synchronization fol- lowed by brief moments of total bilateral synchrony. It was during these moments of whole-brain synchrony that subjects often had an “aha,” or “clarity,” experience. Based on these observations, I have come to believe that one of the many states that Hemi-Sync facilitates is that of hemispheric communication (Hemi-Com) or, perhaps, as a psychotherapist would put it, “an integration of content and affect”. This, to a large extent, is what psychotherapy is all about, and it is remarkable to observe that Hemi-Sync may indeed facilitate and expedite such a process. A number of groundbreaking papers stating that meditation played an important role in psychotherapy (Smith 1976) appeared in psychotherapy journals in the late seventies. The authors of such . . » moments of bilateral synchrony coincide with moments of “clarity.” papers, however, failed to propose a convincing explanation for why or how meditation contributed to the process of psychotherapy. At last, it appears that we may have an answer. In our neuropsychologi- cal laboratory we have already demonstrated that experienced medi- tators tend to synchronize their brains. More recently, we are beginning to see that moments of bilateral synchrony coincide with moments of “clarity.” Hence, perhaps the reason meditation is such an important tool in facilitating psychotherapy is because it promotes whole-brain synchrony; it opens a channel of communication be- tween the two hemispheres which may allow certain “unconscious” defenses to be transcended. If we can systematically and consistently demonstrate this process (Hemi-Com) in more elaborate and well- controlled studies, that is, hemispheric synchrony followed by clarifi- cation of affect and thoughts, I believe we will be making a giant leap toward better understanding of how the human mind operates and how to facilitate its healing. SUMMARY Psychoanalytic explanations of how intrapsychic conflicts come about and how psychotherapy attempts to resolve such conflicts were presented. Based on the findings of two pilot studies, it was proposed that Hemi-Sync may indeed facilitate intrahemispheric communica- tion which, in turn, promotes psychotherapy and assists in the resolution of unconscious conflicts. Further systematic and well- controlled studies are needed to support the findings and the theo- retical model presented in this paper. REFERENCES Freud, S. 1915. The Unconscious. Standard Edition 14:159-204. Freud, S. 1913. On Beginning the Treatment. Standard Edition 12:121-144, Smith, J. 1976, Psychotherapeutic Effects of Transcendental Medita- tion with Controls of Expectation of Relief and Daily Sitting. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 44:630-637. --- PAGE 3 (OCR) --- Spring 1991 USE OF THE HEMI-SYNC CONCENTRATION TAPE WITH DEPRESSIVE SYNDROME by Regis Louis, MD Regis Louis is a psychiatrist in private practice in Melun, France, fifty kilometers south of Paris. In his practice, retaxation techniques, hypnosis, and neurolinguistic programming (NLP) are used. He also has an interest in Transpersonal Psychology and is a member of the American Association of Transpersonal Psychology and the Interna- tional Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS). The following account describes his use of the MIND FOOD Concentration tape to relieve some symptoms of depression. The purpose of this study was to investigate any effects of the Hemi-Sync Concentration tape on patients with depressive syn- drome, especially those with memory difficulties and who lack con- centration due to depression. Seven neurotic patients, each with a major depressive syndrome,